Finding a scent that you love can be a journey that takes months or even years.
Fragrance is a very personal thing and finding the right one for you can mean trying countless different fragrance brands.
But which are the most-loved perfumes in the world? And what are the scent combinations that we can’t get enough of? At Hey Discount we’ve analysed Google search data and social media figures to find out.
Most Popular Perfumes
1. Baccarat Rouge 540 (Maison Francis Kurkdjian)
Annual Google Searches - 5,967,000
TikTok Views - 110,700,000
Instagram Hashtags - 205,707
9.52 overall score /10
Taking the top spot is Baccarat Rouge 540, a perfume that was released in 2015 and quickly became a cult favourite, before blowing up on TikTok in the last year, with over 100 million views on the platform. However, the scent, with notes of amber and blood orange, also has just under six million Google searches and just over 200,000 Instagram posts.
Baccarat doesn’t come cheap, at £215 a bottle, but has seemingly taken the world by storm, showing the huge power that social media can have for a product or brand.
Available at: Harvey Nichols, On Buy
2. Sauvage (Dior)
Annual Google Searches - 11,941,000
TikTok Views - 209,000,000
Instagram Hashtags - 168,109
9.25 overall score /10
In second is Sauvage, by Dior, which was the most viewed cologne on both TikTok and Google (but lagged behind on Insta). Since its launch, Sauvage has become known as one of the sexiest scents in the world, with its fresh, spicy scent.
Interestingly, it is a fragrance that has stood the test of time, first launching in 1966 and these days is perhaps best known for being modelled by Johnny Depp on TV.
Available at: The Fragrance Shop, All Beauty
3. No. 5 (Chanel)
Annual Google Searches - 2,691,000
TikTok Views - 30,100,000
Instagram Hashtags - 195,743
8.85 overall score /10
One of the most iconic fragrances of all time, Chanel No. 5, takes third place, with 30m TikTok views and 2.6m Google searches. No. 5 was the first perfume launched by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and is known for its famous bottle design.
Launched over 100 years ago, the famous fragrance is still going strong to this day and is instantly recognizable. With top notes of aldehydes and ylang-ylang, it was said to be the fifth scent presented to Coco Chanel by the brand before she finally found one she liked, hence the name Chanel No.5.
Available at: Boots, Sephora
The World’s Favourite Celebrity Fragrances
1. Ariana Grande - 4.4 million annual searches
Ariana Grande launched her first fragrance, Ari, back in 2018. Since then, she has created quite the empire with a range of fragrances including Cloud, R.E.M. and Thank U, Next. The scents are known for their unique combinations, with her most famous perfume, Cloud, having middle notes of Whipped Cream and Praline.
The Ariana Grande fragrance range is also relatively affordable, with a 50ml bottle available for around £25.
2. Billie Eilish - 1.3 million annual searches
Singer Billie Eilish launched her first fragrance, Eilish, in 2021. With top notes of sugar, red berries and mandarin oranges, combined with middle notes of vanilla, Eilish is a warm, sweet and spicy fragrance. With 1.3 million annual searches, it’s clear that fragrance fans are awaiting the next release from the pop sensation.
3. Rihanna - 807,600 annual searches
While singer Rihanna is now a mogul in the beauty world with her brand Fenty Beauty, her first foray into personal care was actually in fragrance. Reb’l Fleur, a musky, fruity mix launched back in 2011. However, in 2019, Rihanna launched her first fragrance under the umbrella of Fenty Beauty, Fenty Eau De Parfum, which immediately sold out.
The World's Favourite Scents
1. Lavender - 11.2 million annual searches
Lavender was the world’s most popular scent, with over 11 million searches for lavender perfumes. With an aromatic, clean floral note, this fragrance is one of the most common combinations. Popular perfumes with lavender notes include Yves Saint Laurent Libre, Cloud by Ariana Grande and Jo Malone Amber and Lavender.
2. Cinnamon - 9.9 million annual searches
The winter spice of cinnamon was the second most popular fragrance, with just under 10m searches. Surprisingly, cinnamon-scented fragrances are harder to find, but Dior Poison, Victor & Rolf Spicebomb and Gucci The Alchemist’s Garden A Gloaming Night are some popular scents with cinnamon notes.
3. Amber - 8.1 million annual searches
Woody amber is known to be long-lasting on the skin, so it’s no surprise that it was the third most popular in the world with 8m searches. Many well-known fragrances have amber as a top note, including Mugler Alien, Burberry Her and Le Labo Another 13.
Methodology
Perfumes
Some of the most popular fragrances in the world were analysed on the following factors, giving each a normalised score out of 10 for each factor, before an average across all three scores was taken.
- The number of global Google searches made for the fragrance between February 2021 and March 2022 according to Google Ads Keyword Planner.
- The number of views on TikTok videos using hashtags mentioning the fragrance, as of April 13th 2022.
- The number of Instagram posts using hashtags mentioning the fragrance, as of April 13th 2022.
Celebrities
The number of annual Google searches for each celebrity's name, followed by the words “fragrance” and “perfume”, with the results for both of these two keywords being combined.
Scents
The number of annual Google searches for a number of common scents used in fragrances.
